Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION

[PommyMommy]

The EU is closing the airspace for Russian flights and sending weapons to Ukraine, says EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The decision is historic.

"We are increasing our support for Ukraine. For the first time, the EU will finance and supply weapons and equipment to a country under attack. We are also strengthening our sanctions against the Kremlin, "she wrote on Twitter.

The EU has also decided to ban Russian state media Sputnik and RT. Sanctions are also being imposed on Belarus.”

Liverapportering: Ryska invasionen av Ukraina

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 26, 2022
What is a thermobaric bomb? Fears Putin will use weapon which can destroy cities block-by-block (inews.co.uk)

''The so-called ‘vacuum bombs’ are capable of vapourising human bodies and reducing cities to rubble

A Russian Army TOS-1A ‘Solntsepyok (Blazing Sun)’ multiple rocket launcher and thermobaric weapon mounted on a T-72 tank chassis (Photo by Leonid Faerberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

''But Western officials have warned that if the Ukrainian military resistance continues to hold up the Russian assault, President Putin could resort to using thermobaric weapons.''

''The Tos-1 Buratino weapons are understood to have crossed into Ukraine, although they have yet to be used.

Moscow has previously employed them in Chechnya and Syria.

“My fear would be that if they don’t meet their timescale and objectives they would be indiscriminate in their use of violence,” the official said.

“They don’t adhere to the same principles of necessity and proportionality and rule of law that Western forces do.”

 

[PommyMommy]

Chelsea Football (soccer for USAnians) Club is rejecting Russian oligarch owner Roman Abramovich's move to put the ownership of the football club into it's charitable trust.

Chelsea trustees have not agreed to 'stewardship' amid concerns of being front for Roman Abramovich

 

[PommyMommy]

The West And Russian Gas: What You Need To Know (rferl.org)
The EU has been trying to cut its dependence on Russian gas over the years, but it is still reliant on Moscow, and it won’t be easy to fully detach.

Germany can also import from Norway, the Netherlands, Britain, and Denmark via pipelines. But Norway is delivering natural gas at maximum capacity and says it can't replace any missing supplies from Russia.

 

[PommyMommy]

Kyiv Mayor Says 31 Dead In Capital From Russian Attacks, As Two Sides Agree To Hold Talks (rferl.org)
"Control over Kharkiv is completely ours! The armed forces, the police, and the defense forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy," Sinehubov wrote on Telegram.

Videos posted online by Ukrainian officials showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and a light vehicle burning on the street.

Reuters quoted a witness in Kharkiv as saying Russian soldiers and armored vehicles could be seen in different parts of the city and firing could be heard.

In Kyiv, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said 31 people have died in the capital from attacks by Russia as Ukrainian troops and citizens continue to band together to try and repel an invasion.

 

[PommyMommy]

UN Security Council To Meet In Emergency Session Over Moscow's Invasion Of Ukraine (rferl.org)
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet in an emergency session on February 27 to vote on whether to refer a resolution opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the General Assembly.

Russia on February 25 blocked the move with its veto in a Security Council vote.

Permanent members Russia, the United States, Britain, France, and China hold veto power in the Security Council.

But the February 27 vote would be a procedural action, meaning only nine of the 15 members must agree. No vetoes are allowed, making it likely to proceed to the General Assembly.

In the failed February 25 vote that Russia vetoed, China, India, and the United Arab Emirates abstained. The remaining 11 members voted in favor.

 

[PommyMommy]

Ukrainian Soldier Curses Russian Forces During Battle Northwest Of Kyiv (rferl.org)
Video circulating on social media shows a Ukrainian soldier carrying an anti-tank weapon toward the scene of a battle in the Kyiv region. The crossroads, with armored vehicles in flames, has been geolocated to the town of Ivankiv, northwest of the capital. The video was uploaded to Twitter on February 26, but the date of the battle has not been verified.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
️Air raid alert in Kyiv.
People must urgently go to the nearest shelter.
7:15 PM · Feb 27, 2022·Twitter Web App

*Ukraine time

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin orders nuclear deterrence forces on high alert; Zelenskiy says Ukrainian and Russian delegations to meet | World news | The Guardian
At least 15 European countries ban Russian flights from airspace

Italy is among 14 EU countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Poland to have shut off their airspace to Russian aircraft. The UK shut its airspace off to Russian flights last week.

Moscow responded by closing its airspace to commercial and transit flights from EU countries, with the measure so far aimed at planes linked or registered to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Austrian Airlines said on Saturday it was cancelling flights to Russia and avoiding Russian airspace for at least seven days. Swiss International Air Lines is maintaining flights for now.

US announces £40m humanitarian aid for Ukraine
Secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US is focused on Ukraine’s “urgent humanitarian needs as an important part of our response to Russia’s premeditated, unprovoked and unjustified attack.”

This new assistance to be channelled through NGOs includes “provision of food, safe drinking water, shelter, emergency health care, winterization and protection,” Blinken said in a statement.

Blinken said the new assistance will also help aid groups maintain contact between family members who have been separated by the war, “hopefully leading to reunification in some cases.”

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Government to shut Irish airspace to Russian carriers

The Government is to move to shut Irish airspace to Russian aircraft and carriers.

The development would affect Russian airplanes flying over Ireland and any direct flights.

It is understood there will be a short notice period before the move takes effect.

Aeroflot had a weekly flight from Dublin to Moscow. It is currently suspended until May.

The decision by the Government follows a similar move by the UK on Friday.

The move will be enforced by the Irish Aviation Authority.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko tweeted "Thank you" in response to the announcement.

(...)

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin orders nuclear deterrence forces on high alert; Zelenskiy says Ukrainian and Russian delegations to meet | World news | The Guardian
GREECE

In Greece the first of two military transport planes, loaded with defence equipment, has departed from Eleusina for Ukraine. Portable rocket launchers, ammunition and Kalashnikov rifles will be aboard the two C130’s. The shipments will be delivered via Poland.

Athens’ deputy defence minister, Nikos Hardalias, will oversee the dispatch of humanitarian assistance later in the day when two cargo carriers also head for Poland.

The aid comes amid a brewing row between Russia and Greece regarding Athens’ stance over Ukraine. Despite the two Orthodox nations having traditionally strong ties, culturally and politically, Greece has sided firmly with its fellow EU and Nato partners throughout the crisis and given US forces unfettered access to four military bases across the country.

[...]

WHO: Thousands of lives at risk by falling Ukrainian oxygen supplies
The World Health Organization is worried about supplies of medicinal oxygen to Ukraine, warning the majority of hospitals could run out in 24 hours.

The director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and WHO’s regional director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, called for a safe passage for supplies, including via a logistics corridor through Poland.

They said: “Trucks are unable to transport oxygen supplies from plants to hospitals across the country, including the capital, Kyiv. The majority of hospitals could exhaust their oxygen reserves within the next 24 hours. Some have already run out. This puts thousands of lives at risk.”

 

[PommyMommy]

Central Bank is keeping a keen eye on oligarchs’ billions that wash through Dublin

Mr Deripaska owns the En+ Group, which includes Rusal, the global aluminium giant which in turn owns the Aughinish Alumina plant in the Shannon Estuary. The business employs 450 people.

Though he has not been named in the latest round of sanctions, he was one of 23 prominent Russian oligarchs and government officials hit by sanctions in April 2018, measures imposed by Washington in response to Moscow’s 2014 invasion of Crimea.

The Financial Times reported that the US Treasury accused him of laundering funds for Mr Putin — which was denied.

Sanctions against his companies were lifted when he withdrew from the business. In 2020, European officials concluded Mr Deripaska was still running Rusal in violation of sanctions.

Mr Deripaska said the sanctions had resulted in “the utter devastation of his wealth, reputation and economic livelihood.”

Two properties linked to him were raided by the FBI last year.

Aughinish Alumina and other Irish businesses fear financial sanctions against Russia

Meanwhile, Rusal Aughinish, the Russian-controlled smelter in the Shannon Estuary, Europe’s largest bauxite facility, which supplies 45 % of its aluminium metal to the European markets, could find itself in the eye of the sanctions storm. A global rush in demand for aluminium has already pushed prices up over the past 12 months.

Aughinish hoping to avoid being unintended victim of sanctions on Russia

Aughinish is a manufacturing company based on Irish soil which potentially has the most to lose out should the West escalate its sanctions in an uncontrolled way in the coming weeks and months.

Aughinish has faced the fallout of sanctions on its Russian owners over in the past. It was only finally freed three years ago of the uncertainty when the US lifted sanctions on Rusal and other companies linked to controlling stakeholder Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire accused of having close ties with the Kremlin.

The US had imposed crippling sanctions on Mr Deripaska's business interests.

 

[PommyMommy]

Referendum in Belarus over grondwet, terwijl regime aanval op Oekraïne steunt

As Russian tanks drive into Ukraine from Belarus, a referendum on a new constitution is being held in Belarus today. The outcome is already certain, in the dictatorially led country elections are characterized by massive fraud in favor of a positive result for the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

The war in Ukraine is no reason to postpone the polls, says the electoral commission. Belarusian state media made virtually no mention of the Russian invasion of the neighboring country this week, while the attack on Kiev is being carried out from Belarus. This morning , Lukashenko acknowledged that missiles were fired at Ukraine "in self-defense", but denies that war is being waged from Belarus on Ukraine.

The constitutional amendment was already announced by Lukashenko at the end of 2020, in response to mass protests against his regime. At the time , the dictator said he would resign as soon as a new constitution was adopted, but that promise was not repeated later.

the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe "the unequal distribution of power in Belarus is actually further aggravated".

Protesting against the constitutional amendment is not possible, says Belarusian journalist Vladimir Aplevich. "Anyone who takes to the streets is immediately arrested and thrown in jail." There are also no demonstrations against the war in Ukraine, whereas there are demonstrations in Russian cities.

Repression seems to have intensified in recent weeks: according to human rights organization Viasna, Belarus has 1078 political prisoners. People were arrested this week for participating in the anti-Lukashenko protests of 2020.

Belarus no longer neutral
In the new constitution the passage about the pursuit of neutrality and a world without nuclear weapons disappears. That seems to be a direct commitment to Russia, which this week launched its attack on Ukraine from Belarus' territory. As far as is known, no Belarusian soldiers have yet been involved in the Russian invasion. "Russia does not need our soldiers and ammunition," Lukashenko claims.

 

[PommyMommy]

Map: Which countries are accepting Ukrainian refugees?
Air flight ban:

Government to shut Irish airspace to Russian carriers

The Government is to move to shut Irish airspace to Russian aircraft and carriers.

The development would affect Russian airplanes flying over Ireland and any direct flights.

It is understood there will be a short notice period before the move takes effect.

Aeroflot had a weekly flight from Dublin to Moscow. It is currently suspended until May.

The decision by the Government follows a similar move by the UK on Friday.

The move will be enforced by the Irish Aviation Authority.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko tweeted "Thank you" in response to the announcement.

(...)

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin orders nuclear deterrence forces on high alert; Zelenskiy says Ukrainian and Russian delegations to meet | The Guardian
Nato chief: Putin's nuclear rhetoric is 'dangerous' and irresponsible
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of Nato, said “this is dangerous rhetoric” over Russian president Vladimir Putin’s order to put the country’s nuclear military deterrence on high alert.

“This is dangerous rhetoric. This is a behaviour which is irresponsible,” Stoltenberg said on CNN.

“And of course when you combine this rhetoric with what they are doing on the ground in Ukraine – waging war against an independent, sovereign nation, conducting full-fledged invasion of Ukraine – this adds to the seriousness of the situation.”

[...]

Ukraine's foreign minister: Ukraine-Russia talks with no preconditions 'already a victory'
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said “we will not give up a single inch of our territory” ahead of talks agreed between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations.

Russia initially said it did not want talks, then said it wanted talks with conditions. Now, after a series of military setbacks that some observers say may have shocked Russian president Vladimir Putin, the conditions have been dropped – which Kuleba said was “already a victory”.

One element of the talks, Kuleba said, are that Belarus agreed it would not use military force against Ukraine “between now and the moment that the talks wrap up”.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin orders nuclear deterrence forces on high alert; Zelenskiy says Ukrainian and Russian delegations to meet |The Guardian
Here’s Sunday’s top headlines on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine so far.

• Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his military command to put nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by Nato countries.
• Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg responded: “This is dangerous rhetoric”.
• Ukraine has agreed to peace talks with Russia “without preconditions”, the office of president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
• Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine won’t surrender “a single inch of our territory” ahead of the talks, saying no preconditions was “already a victory”.
  
• Ukraine’s capital Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands as Russia has faced a series of military setbacks.
  
• Ukraine claimed its forces repelled a Russian attempt to seize Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, following fierce fighting and street battles with advancing Russian troops.
• The UN refugee agency has said more than 368,000 people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries. Up to 4 million people could become refugees if the situation continues to worsen, the UN said.
  
• Western allies have agreed to block Russia’s access to the Swift international banking payment system.
• German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he will spend €100bn on defence in a U-turn over the country’s longstanding military policy.
• The World Health Organization warned thousands of lives are at risk by falling Ukrainian oxygen supplies.
• Pope Francis said he was “heartbroken” by the war and appeared to take direct aim at Putin by condemning people who “trust in the diabolic and perverse logic of weapons”.
• The US said it is sending nearly $54m (£40m) in new humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
• Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar claimed Russian forces have lost about 4,300 servicemen, a figure it was not possible to independently verify.
• Turkey called the conflict a “war”, which could lead to the country blocking access between the Mediterranean and Black seas to Russian ships.
  
• The UK foreign secretary Liz Truss said she’s preparing a “hit list” of oligarchs to sanction. She also said the war could spell the “beginning of the end” for Putin and said she would back Britons going to fight for Ukraine as private citizens.
  
• Russian police detained more than 900 people at anti-war protests on Sunday, an independent monitoring organisation said, lifting the tally for crackdown arrests to over 4,000.
• Over 17 European countries have now blocked airspace access to Russian flights, with Russia retaliating – marking a pivot back towards Cold War-style relations.

 

[PommyMommy]

Pro-Kremlin Chechen leader Kadyrov calls for expanding Russian invasion "in all directions"
Pro-Kremlin Chechen leader Kadyrov calls for expanding Russian invasion "in all directions"

Ramzan Kadyrov, the pro-Kremlin leader of Russia's Chechnya region, called on the Russian military Sunday to expand its military offensive in Ukraine.

"The time has come to make a concrete decision and start a large-scale operation in all directions and territories of Ukraine," Kadyrov said in a statement on his Telegram account. "I myself have repeatedly developed tactics and strategies against terrorists, participated in battles. In my understanding, the tactics chosen in Ukraine are too slow. It lasts a long time and, in my view, are not effective," he said.

Added Kadyrov: "Full coordination of the actions of the military, competent alignment of forces and a decisive assault. That's it! Nothing else is needed."

Kadyrov has been accused by international and independent observers of gross human-rights violations in his home territory and beyond. He leads sizable paramilitary forces that — while formally a part of Russian security structures — have personal loyalty to him.

 

[PommyMommy]

Former Secretary of State Condoleesa Rice:

Condoleezza Rice: Putin ‘seems erratic,’ ‘descending into something’ never personally seen before

"He was always calculating and cold. But this is different. He seems erratic. There is an ever-deepening, delusional rendering of history, it was always a kind of victimology about what had happened to them, but now it goes back to blaming Lenin for the foundation of Kyiv … in Ukraine," Rice said on "Fox News Sunday."

Rice has met with Putin at least a half a dozen times across her career and said he is "descending into something I haven’t personally seen before."

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
️ EU bans Russia Today, Sputnik. Russia’s two main propaganda networks are now to shut down all across the union.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
️EU to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment for Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
️️️Air raid alert in Kyiv.
People must urgently go to the nearest shelter.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
️Another explosion was heard in Kyiv at around 8:13 p.m.

 

[PommyMommy]

Ukraine battles Russian forces: LIVE UPDATES

US Embassy warns Americans in Russia: Expect credit card troubles after SWIFT sanctions

The start of sanctions on SWIFT may leave Americans in Russia stranded as their credit cards may not work.

Fox News correspondent Amy Kellogg reported that the U.S. embassy warned Americans to expect their credit cards not to work after the sanctions start.

She said her cards still worked as of today. The increasing isolation of Russia is causing the American community to worry about access to money and flights out, Kellogg added.

An NBC correspondent in Moscow also reported that his hotel asked him settle his bill early over concerns that his credit cards wouldn’t work after SWIFT sanctions started.